Boxing has been part of the Olympic story for more than a century, making its debut at the 1904 Olympic Games in St Louis, USA. Due to the late introduction of the sport, only American boxers competed in that inaugural tournament.
Just four years later, at the 1908 Olympic Games in London, British boxers made a statement, with home fighters winning all five available gold medals. Since then, boxing has featured at every Summer Olympic Games – except for Stockholm 1912, when the sport was not included because boxing was banned under Swedish law.
Olympic boxing has continued to evolve, reaching an important milestone at the London 2012 Olympic Games, where women’s boxing was introduced – with Rotunda and England’s own Natasha Jonas competing in the first ever women’s bout. Female athletes competed in three weight categories: 51kg, 60kg and 75kg, marking a major step forward for equality in the sport.
By the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, the competition had expanded further, with five women’s weight categories and eight men’s weight categories, reflecting the growing global strength and popularity of Olympic boxing.
Today, Olympic boxing remains one of the most exciting and prestigious stages in the sport, where the world’s best amateur boxers compete for national pride, history, and the ultimate honour of Olympic glory.
England’s Olympic prospects train as part of the GB squad at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield, under the guidance of GB Boxing Performance Director Rob McCracken and a team of elite coaches.
You can learn more about GB Boxing and the athletes and coaches at www.gbboxing.org.uk.
